


JARVIS, do we have a protocol for rats?

by flintrage



Series: BBB 2020: Round Two [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Deaf Clint Barton, Domestic Avengers, Fluff, Gen, No movie after CA:TWS exists thanks, Platonic Relationships, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Rats, Sign Language, Team Dynamics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:15:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24162664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flintrage/pseuds/flintrage
Summary: There's a rat on the helicarrier - a tame one, at that. Fortunately, the team has Bucky "Resident Rat Lover" Barnes to step in and deal with it.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Avengers Team
Series: BBB 2020: Round Two [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1740838
Comments: 16
Kudos: 51
Collections: Bucky Barnes Bingo 2020





	JARVIS, do we have a protocol for rats?

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Bucky Barnes Bingo 2020. Square B3: Stowaway.

“Is that a rat?” Stark’s voice comes through the communicator only slightly distorted, unevenly-pitched with fear. “Because I don’t, uh, do well with those. Rats. They’re, y’know, unsanitary.”

“Rats are pretty clean, Stark.” Barnes is already kneeling down on the floor of the helicarrier, peering at the little rodent hiding behind one of Barton’s quivers. “They groom themselves as much as cats.” 

“Oh, they do? And what are you, our resident rodent expert?”

“One of the baristas in Brew Loft has six. She talks about them a lot.”

“Ugh. I forgot you have  _ friends _ now.” But he can hear the grin in Stark’s voice when he says it. “But no really, how’d it get in here? JARVIS?”

“Analysis suggests that the rodent came aboard during routine ground maintenance, sir.”

“Your analysis is just common sense, right?” Romanoff and Barton sign at the same time, giving each other A Look when they realise it. “Stop that,” they sign in sync again, then more emphatically, “ _Cut it out._ ” But they’re smiling with their eyes. Watching them, Barnes feels a peculiar kind of pleasure. It’s good to see them happy. To see Romanoff happy, especially. Barton keeps her grounded in a way no-one else can. He looks away sharply, startled by a tickling sensation on his knuckles.

The rat is sniffing his hands. He hadn’t been paying attention to it, distracted by the chatter and banter of the team, but it seems to have decided that he’s still enough and calm enough to be relatively safe to approach. Up close, he can see it’s not a feral rat like he’d thought: the Brew Loft barista would call its coat  _ agouti _ . Dark brown, like wild rats. She has one just like it. But this little one has a patch of white on its belly that shows when it stands on its hindlegs to sniff the air, swaying slightly to get a better look at Barnes. 

“Guys,” he says, “I think this is somebody’s pet.” He hears the subtle sound of Stark’s suit moving as he turns to stare at Barnes, and keeps talking before he can be interrupted. “No, I mean it. It’s way too calm. And see there? The white patch? You ever see a wild rat like that?”

“You think somebody’s pet  managed to get out of its cage, out of its home, and onto our helicarrier?” Romanoff signs, arching an eyebrow at him. Barton and Stark are signing at each other too but Bucky can’t pay attention to everything at once: he focuses on Natasha and keeps still as the rat climbs obediently into his outstretched hands. 

“Weirder things have happened,” Barnes says, because he can’t sign with a rat in his hands. He likes the rat immediately, though. It’s heavier than he’d thought it would be, and doesn’t seem to mind the mechanical hand, though it favours the other: its little nails are useless against the metal. Like any rodent, it’s easily spooked--there are a lot of weird sounds on a helicarrier--but it doesn’t seem terrified to be around so many people, like a wild one would be. Barnes sits back on the floor, carefully holding the little thing to his chest. “I won’t lie to you, guys, I kind of want to keep it. I mean, unless someone puts up a ‘missing rat’ poster.”

“What about your barista friend? From Brew Loft?” Stark is standing as far away as possible, arms folded, but he seems a little more relaxed now that he’s convinced the rat isn’t feral. Pet rats, apparently, are just fine. “You think it could be hers?”

“Pretty sure she’s not the only person near the Tower who keeps rats,” Barnes shrugs. “I don’t know.” He strokes the back of the rat’s neck, where the fur is softest, and grins when it sits up and begins to groom itself, balanced between his arm and chest. “I’ll figure it out when we get back. Is there somewhere we can put him in here? A box?”

“Uhhh… JARVIS, rat-appropriate boxes?” Stark snaps his fingers. “Anywhere?”

“Certainly, sir.” True to form, JARVIS locates an empty metal box somewhere in storage within seconds. He sends it up to the team via one of Stark’s robots, who passes it mutely to Barnes. The rat won’t like it, Barnes thinks: it’ll slide all over the place. But the holes in the sides are good for oxygen and it’s a dark, safe space for it to wait out the trip. Barnes won’t mind sharing his food and water with it. He opens the box with one hand, swipes it free of dust, and carefully lowers the rat into it.

“Don’t worry, pal,” Barnes murmurs to it, low enough that he doubts anyone but JARVIS can hear. “You’re coming home with me when this is over. You okay with that?” 

The rat, of course, doesn’t answer. But it tries to jump back into Barnes’ hands, which he’ll take as a resounding  _ yes. _


End file.
